The Path to Darkness (Book Two of The Choice of an Uchiha)
by DawnxAingeal
Summary: Alai is back for the Chuunin exams! And she's managed to bring a few friends with her, but what will happen now that Sasuke has been chosen to be Alai's warrior? Will Sasuke accept or will he turn away for his own revenge? As Alai and Sasuke get closer the choice becomes less clear to the boy. And how will Kalen and Nema react? Or even Kakashi? It's all in "The Path To Darkness"!


~Sasuke~

"You can only use that move twice, so make sure your careful when you use it." Kakashi warned as we made our way back to camp.

It had almost been a full month since he took me out of the hospital so I could train for my match with Gaara of the sand, and I felt as strong as ever.

I nodded to my Sensei, showing that I understood his warning. He continued "Why don't we call it a night, we will pick it up again in the morning."

"Fine.." I responded. As Kakashi set up the fire, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I didn't see much except for a form, a familiar one at that. I turned to face my Sensei.

"Alai is here."

When he heard my statement he stood up quickly and left the camp without a word. "Could have at least finished the fire." I mumbled to myself angrily, making the hand sign for my fire release jutsu. Once I got the fire caught onto the logs I saw a shadow appear. Alai was standing at the other side of the clearing, waving and smiling. I noticed that her hair was now short and colored blonde.

'Why would she dye her hair?' I wondered while her footsteps echoed throughout the clearing, meaning she was coming closer to me. When she sat down I took the opportunity to say something.

"What do you want?" She never answered me, just sat down next to me and looked at me. "I'm busy." Instead of saying something like she normally would, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth and laughed silently. She shook her head slightly before standing up.

She walked behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Get off me." I demanded instantly, she listened but she was still silent. When she didn't take her place back next to me I turned to see what else she was up to. She was walking to the trees, away from me. I couldn't help saying "Alai..." in a slight whisper.

It must have been loud enough because she turned to face me again, smiling with her head turned to the side. I heard a sudden noise from my left, and before I could even turn to react to it, Alai jumped into the trees and disappeared.

It was then that I had noticed that Alai had placed a necklace around my neck. The cold pendant that rested on my skin was familiar to me, I had seen it before. In fact I had used to own it, but I thought I had lost it years ago. It was the Uchiha clan symbol on a small and simple black chain.

"What was that?" I heard Kakashi ask as he walked up to me. I quickly hid the necklace and turned to my Sensei. "You just missed her, she didn't even talk."

Kakashi froze.

"You saw her?"

"She was right here, Sakura must have sent her to come find me or something, or maybe she wanted to cause trouble."

There was silence for a moment before my teacher spoke again. "You don't know..."

"Know what?"

"Alai left Konoha, the night Orochimaru bit you is the last night anyone's seen her."

'Alai is gone? How come no one told me?' I thought about my idiot teammates and cursed them, 'Naruto probably didn't even notice yet, and Sakura...'

I didn't even want to think about it. Instead I thought rationally.

"And no one is looking for her? What about you?"

"She is safe with Kalen and Nema."

'Those two again, so Kakashi-Sensei got left behind.' But that was when something hit me.

"They weren't with her, she did look different though."

"Different? How so?"

"She didn't speak, and her hair, it was short and blonde."

Kakashi reacted quickly, grabbing ahold of my shoulders and made me face him. "What color was her hair?"

"Blonde, why?" Instead of answering me, he stared off for a moment before asking more questions. "Did she do anything? Tell me exactly what happened."

"Well she sat in front of me, smiled, tried hugging me and then took off up that tree." I explained as I pointed to said tree, I wasn't going to tell him about the necklace. I intended on asking her about that on my own accord.

'But Kakashi said that she left Konoha.' I thought.

...

'Guess I'll have to find her on my own once the Chunin Exams are over.' I sighed as Kakashi went back to his usual spot on the log in front of the fire.

"If you see her again, you have to find me. Got it?"

"Was that really Alai?"

Kakashi waited a moment before I heard him mumble. "Kalen is going to kill me..." He didn't elaborate until I sent a glare his way, showing that I wouldn't let him go. 'If that wasn't Alai then who was it?'

"Her name is Aerin, she is Alai and Kalen's sister."

This confused me. " Sister? I thought it was just the two of them here."

He didn't look at me as he responded, in a hushed voice. "It is..."

He wouldn't answer anymore of my questions at that point, I eventually had to give up. As I looked into the fire again I thought one thing.

'Just another mystery.'

~Naruto~

When I opened my eyes it was hard to see at first. The only I did hear was someone saying that something was a drag.

I grunted slightly and it seemed to have gotten the persons attention.

"Hm, so you finally decided to wake up."

"W-Where am I? What is this?"

He answered me quickly, "The hospital, they said you've been out cold like this three days straight."

I looked around and saw that I was in a bed, "three days?" I said confused, but that was when it hit me.

"THREE DAYS STRAIGHT!?" I shot up out of bed, the sudden action causing Shikamaru to jump back slightly.

"Uh yeah, more or less?"

"SHIKAMARU! WHAT DAY DOES THE FINAL COMPETITION BEGIN!?"

He stammered before answering, "Uhh two days."

"WHAT!?" I jumped forward and grabbed him by his shirt. Outraged, I continued.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER!? I CAN'T BE LYING AROUND LIKE THIS I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING READY! AND WHERE IS PERVY SAGE, HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE SUPERVISING MY TRAINING!"

Shikamaru finally decided to talk, but it wasn't helpful at all! "Hey! calm down kid, I don't know what your talking about!"

I ignored him and turned to my bed, looking for my clothes.

"Oh man I don't have time for this, I have to get dressed. Where are my clothes! what did they do with them!"

I continued my rant for some time as I destroyed the hospital bed. I heard Shikamaru mutter something about me giving him some sort of headache or whatever, also something about a coma, and then...

"WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF!"

I stopped everything I was doing and listened to him. "Now listen, you don't want to be freaking out a few days before a big competition. Resting can be the best thing!"

That was when my stomach growled and I sat back down, surprising Shikamaru. "...are you ok? is something wrong?"

"Yeah" I answered "I'm really starving!"

He tilted his head to the side with a disappointed look on his face, "Is that all? Man stop scaring me like that. Oh wait! look at this!" He bent down from his chair and started to pull something out. It was a fruit basket.

"I went to the trouble of making all this for Choji, but then the doctors told me that he couldn't eat it. But at least we get to!"

My eyes widened as I realized that our friends where in this hospital as well. "Wait, Choji is in the hospital too?"

"Nothing to worry about, all he's got is a bad case of indigestion.. He ate one short rib too many.." I couldn't hold in my laughter any moment.. "HAHA I shoulda figured, that's just like him!"

Shikamaru grinned, "Yeah? well you guys are just lucky I'm around, or else you wouldn't have ANY visitors." he threw an apple my way quickly and I caught it.

"Wow this looks delicious, ah!" I got an idea quickly. Shikamaru looked at me curiously.

"What now?"

"We should totally eat this in front if Choji, it'll drive him crazy!"

He laughed, "man that's mean... I like it!"

It was then that we sensed a strange chakra in the hospital, we went out to find the source and when Shikamaru told me it was coming from Bushy Brows room, we quickly ran in that direction. We found Ino on the way over and gave her the fruit basket to show Choji.

Shikamaru had to act quickly because when we got there, Gaara was standing over Lee with his sand engulfing him. Shikamaru used his shadow possession jutsu, and once he had control of Gaaras body, I punched that sand freak in the face, causing a crack to appear on his skin.

"What do you think your doing!?" I shouted. Shikamaru interrupts me. "hey! remember that I'm using my shadow possession, so when your bashing him your also bashing me!"

"Sorry!" As Shikamaru was rubbing his cheek, I walked to stand next to him and turned my attention to Gaara. "Alright out with it! What were you trying to pull?"

The sand sibling looked at us and answered without any care.

"I was going to kill him."

"What?" was all I could say as I stared at him, the only thing I could think was how could someone be so uncaring about killing someone! Shikamaru spoke up next.

"You already beat him once in the competition! What's your problem? Wasn't once enough for you!? You got some personal grudge against him or whatever?"

"I have nothing against him."

'What?!'

"It's nothing all that complicated, I just simply want to kill him.."

I couldn't take anymore. "YOU KNOW WHAT!? YOUR SICK IN THE HEAD! YOUR CRAZY!" I was pointing at him accusingly as Shikamaru stuck in his agreement.

"Yeah, you think we're just gonna let you do what you want? You sick pyscho."

He waited for a moment before speaking again. 'Man this guy should just stop talking already!'

"If you don't stay out of my way, I'll have to kill you as well."

That's it. "OH REALLY!? WELL LETS JUST SEE YOU TRY IT!"

Shikamaru turned to me and stopped me. "Hey woah kid, take it easy!" He thought for a minute before speaking again. "Yeah yeah, we watched your last match with Lee, we know your tough... but you know Naruto and I still have a few tricks up our sleeve. We were holding back in the last competition. There are things you haven't seen yet, and hey! it's two against one, so don't be a fool. Just take my advice and go..quietly!"

As I watched Shikamaru, I tried to figure out exactly what he was planning. He told me to calm down but then he is gonna taunt the guy?

"I'll say it once more, if you get in my way.. I'll kill you.."

'This guy is ticking me off!' "AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN! LET'S SEE YOU TRY IT!"

Shikamaru stopped me me once again. "Back off will ya! We don't want to go there! This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something!"

"Yeah well, he can fight like a demon all he wants, cus I got the real thing inside of me!" I watched as Gaara did nothing but stare at me, Shikamaru nudged me and whispered. "Idiot! Leave this to me! What's the point of getting him mad?"

We waited a moment for some sort of reaction, Gaara then tilted his head down and closed his eyes. "A demon huh? Well my demon is as real as yours is. From my birth, my upbringing was not what you would call a pleasant one. To ensure I would become the strongest Shinobi, my father cast his ninjutsu on me. Infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

'So he's got the same thing I have?'

"It's name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of a monk who had been living in the sand village, he'd been sealed up in a jar of tea."

I stood silent as Shikamaru tried to talk to him again. "Yeah that's it, some sort of demonic jutsu, but to use it on a baby, before it's even born!? Man that's creepy!"

All I could think was. 'Can it be true? He's got one inside of him too?'

Shikamaru continued, "And your dad must be some stand up guy, he must have really loved you."

"You speak of love? Don't measure me by your standards.. love? family? the only emotional ties I'd like to tie around them are the ones around their necks. Ties of hate. I was raised to be the salvation of the sand village. I was the Kazekage child. He pampered me and left me to myself, for a time I thought that was love. And then that was when it started."

"When what started?" I asked, waiting impatiently for Gaara's reply.

"After I turned 6, my father spent the next 6 years trying to destroy me so many times I lost count. I easily became a danger to village I was meant to protect, a relic of the past that they wished would just disappear. With my failure I had no reason to live, and having no reason to live is the same as being dead."

"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru asked, not getting what he was talking about. I understood though, and clearly as well. 'He's the same as me!'

"And then I found my reason, my purpose for living is simply in the killing of others. As my mother died giving me life the only way for me to sustain it and even be happy is in the death of others. As long as there are people in this great wide crowded world, I will never disappear!"

As Shikamaru stood silent I thought about everything. 'I was the same way, I didn't know what I was here for! Until Iruka Sensei came along. He saw what was in me, gave me a purpose for living! But this guy had no one, so he had to find the answer on his own, so this is what he came up with? To kill in order to live... could I have ended up like that if I didn't have my friend? We're so different, but so close to being the same. I don't think I could beat this guy!'

I backed away, my hand shaking at my side. This caused Shikamaru to look back at me and ask. "Hey what are you doing?" Gaara took the moment to move then, his sand surrounded him quickly, not caring about Shikamaru's jutsu. I stood as I heard the faint calls of Shikamaru calling out to me, and something being a drag.

"NARUTO!"

"Alright that's enough, the final competition is in two days, you want to waste it now?" Guy Sensei reasoned as he stepped into the room, seizing all movement from Gaara. In fact, the sand that surrounded us was actually returned to his gourd. His hand clutching his head. As he walked out of the room slowly, he turned to say one final thing.

"All the same, I will kill you. I'll kill you all!"

~Sasuke~

"Your going where?"

"The Hokage has requested my presence. I'll be back before you know it."

"Hn, you better be back before my training." Kakashi said nothing as he left.

'At least he didn't leave DURING a training session.' I thought while the fire crackled in front of me. It was currently cooking my food, we weren't able to do much else other than fish and berries for the past month.

"Aw fish again? must be getting annoying." I turned to face the voice, kunai in hand. I had to fight the urge to relax when I saw her face.

'Blonde hair, it's Aerin.'

She stopped her movement when I didn't lower my weapon. She laughed before saying. "What, suddenly we're enemies now? and here I thought we had a moment back then."

"Sorry but no."

"What!? Don't you remember the peaceful and romantic moment we had by the fire?"

"That was a few hours ago."

"So you should remember it! Now I'm hurt." The girl placed her hand on her chest and pouted, pretending to be upset.

I scoffed "Hn, you didn't even talk last time."

She giggled, mimicking Alai's closed eye smile, even managing to tilt her head the right way. "Well I did say it was silent."

"Nice try, but your still not Alai."

She paused for a moment before stepping forward, speaking at the same time. "Well I will admit I wasn't expecting Copy Cat to know me but..." she bowed in a mocking manner before continuing. "Aerin Tyiadain at your service."

'So Kakashi was right, this is my chance to get some answers.' I thought quickly, Kunai still in hand. "Why did you come here?"

"I just wanted to talk silly!" she smiled once again, reminding me of her sister. I had to tell myself that it wasn't her and I had to remain alert.

"Don't call me that, and if your here. Shouldn't you be looking for a couple of people?"

She stepped back for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and smiling. "Suit yourself Sasuke, and I don't care where Kalen and Alai are. I do, however, care about who my dear sister is talking to."

This interested me, what did she want if not to find her family. "And that would be?"

"Well there are two really, most important one being your little blonde friend. Naruto Uzumaki right?"

"What do you want with him?" I demanded, raising my weapon. 'Is she here to take Naruto?'

"Calm down there Sas, I'm not out to kidnap your best bud, I just like to keep tabs on anyone of importance."

"I doubt that...and the other person?"

She smirked, noticing my interest in her intentions. I looked to her for any hint of an attack. She wasn't even tensing in the slightest, but I did notice a new detail. Aerin's eyes were brown, a dull and hazy brown. I didn't like it.

"Did Alai give you anything? Anything...special?"

My mind instantly brought up the day when she took me back to the Uchiha Compound. How I was able to see the spirits of my dead clan.

'So I'm the other person.'

I'd decided not to tell her about the event in my compound, at least not without getting my answers.

"I have a few questions first."

She grinned before taking a seat by the fire. "Of course you do. Well?"

I thought about what question I wanted answered first, it was possible that she won't know about the dream. And I'll get answers about the compound once I tell her about it...

"Alai said that she was from the city that never sleeps, and that it was very far away. She doesn't know how to use chakra along with strange customs and powers... my first question is, Where is Myrna? How can I get there?"

"You can't go there anymore..." Her tone became quiet and serious as she avoided eye contact.

"Why not?" I questioned, starting to become suspicious.

"It was destroyed, about 7 years ago, along with all of its people." She announced, making me lose my breath for a moment. 'Their entire city, is gone?' Aerin noticed my silence and continued.

"There was a war between Myrna and the capital city of Vena. One day, Vena unleashed their secret weapon. A mysterious man with a mask. His powers were unknown to us, and dangerous. After he demolished Myrna, he destroyed Vena before leaving to his own home."

~*~I only have Kalen now, I lost everything else on that day..~*~

'Alai...'

~*~The day that I came here. There was, a masked man. He's responsible for everything.~*~

'Your here for revenge aren't you? Just like me...' an image of our training sessions came into play, she was always cheerful and positive. 'How do you smile everyday?'

That was when another question popped into my head. "How did you survive?"

"I was on the outskirts of Myrna when the masked man attacked. After that I just survived."

"You never thought to look for your brother and sister?"

"I did... I just have some things to do first."

"Like?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

She smiled and replied, "Like keeping tabs on people of importance, don't you think it's a little unfair you get to ask four questions and I don't?"

"Not my fault you answered.."

"Fair enough." she sighed before leaning forward, looking directly at me. Her brown orbs catching my black ones. "So, did Alai give you anything special?"

I thought about it that time at the compound for a moment before I had this feeling. Something was telling me not to tell Aerin about Alai's friend lending me his powers.

"She's giving me the opportunity to get stronger, she told me that she would help me defeat a certain someone." So I didn't. I would ask Alai when I saw her again, even though Kakashi said she was gone I just knew I would see her at least once more.

Aerin faltered for a moment before smirking, seems she wasn't happy with my answer.

"Oh? and how is it that she plans to help you?"

"She trains with me whenever we can, she told me that if I could get around her barrier she'd be strong enough to defeat them."

She started laughing at my reply and stood up, looking down at me. "Good luck with that kid, A Beckoners barrier is basically impossible to break."

"That's another question, what exactly is a Beckoner?"

"Sorry there hun, I think I've answered enough questions for now. Besides, mister Copy Cat is coming back. See ya!"

"Wait! At least tell me where you got the necklace you gave me."

"I took it from Alai a few years ago, sis didn't even notice!" She exited through the trees again, leaving me to think for a few moments before Kakashi showed up again.

'She took it from Alai? How did Alai have my necklace?'

~?~ ~FF to next day~

The sun was almost directly above us in the sky by the time our destination was in sight, and even then I was lost as to where I was. The only reason I knew of our distance was because the little one had become anxious.

"Hurry up!"

That phrase was chanted many times as we drew closer, and as the distance grew shorter the phrase became more frequent. I had learned to ignore it and move with haste, following behind my comrades closely. This was after all, still a new land to me.

It was a strange land at that. The landscape was filled with life, but at the same time so dead. All of the trees, plants and rivers were dead or dying, yes they appeared to be healthy and vibrant, but I knew the difference, and I knew the little one knew it as well.

Everything in life has a spirit, and as far as we knew, you needed a spirit in order to live.

The ones who were still alive were the ones who were old, and standing proud. From what I had seen in this land so far, if all the spiritless trees fell, only a handful would remain standing.

I was perplexed as to how this place could survive with so few spirits around. Was it possible to adapt and grow without a life force? I feared the answer would never be known.

I looked to my comrades before catching a glimpse of something at the bottom of the hill we were walking on, little one caught it as well and ran ahead to see the full length of the town below.

"Alai!"

She turned around to face us all with a smile showing brightly on her face as she announced to me.

"We're back!"

~!~ Part 2 woot! ok this is like an accomplishment for me ok? I've been telling myself that I have to get this first chapter of this out and every time I was like, "but I wanna play Titanfall or Theif. (I have PS4 guyz! but I take over my friends Xbox one :P) Both good games btw.

But wow! I don't even know how long it took to write this xD sorry, I have a bad habit of writing something and then disliking how it sounds, so I erase it all and re-write it.

So I wanted to put in some scenes with Naruto because he is a main character for my story and hey! the show is named after him and all xD.

Next is the third exam! are you excited? You should be! Ok Well I'm off the write the next chapter. Remember guys now FF is caught up with Wattpad so it will take more than a day xD.

Chao! ~!~DawnxAingeal


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